State Capitol

Minnesota has an idea for a Super Bowl encore: the country’s biggest college football game. Gov. Mark Dayton is joining others Tuesday morning to announce the state’s bid for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Gov. Mark Dayton is threatening to veto a state agency budget bill if Republicans don’t agree to remove a part that would ditch candidate spending limits and undo current restrictions on where their donations originate.

A longtime staff member of the Minnesota Senate was killed after being struck by a Green Line light rail train on her way to work Thursday morning. Lynne Thomas had been a legislative assistant in the Senate for 28 years. She was crossing University Avenue on the light rail tracks when she was hit and killed by a train around 7:30 a.m.

Gov. Mark Dayton said Monday that he’s “shocked and appalled” to learn that the Metropolitan Council raised its estimate for the Southwest Light Rail Transit Project by $341 million for a total budget of nearly $2 billion.

The Senate is moving to lift a ban on gun silencers even as Gov. Mark Dayton has promised a veto. Minnesota’s Senate and its Democratic leader had shown little interest in expanding the state’s gun laws this year.

Gov. Mark Dayton says he stands behind a new policy instituted by the Department of Corrections that bans the use of media cameras for interviews of inmates conducted in Minnesota prisons. Dayton said Tuesday he trusts the judgment of his agency commissioner and steps he’s taking to assure security in state prisons.

There’s a new pledge drive at Minnesota’s Capitol that could leave the state with an even bigger budget reserve. Gov. Mark Dayton challenged House Republicans on Tuesday to back off some of their $2 billion in proposed tax cuts.

A handful of gun bills are ready for a final vote. The Minnesota House was expected to take up bills Thursday that would legalize gun silencers and remove a requirement that gun permit owners notify state officials before bringing a firearm onto Capitol grounds. Other measures were also set for a vote.

Minnesotans with gun permits could carry a gun onto state Capitol grounds without tipping off the state under a House budget bill. Current state law requires to gun owners to notify state officials before bringing a gun into the Capitol and other state buildings.

Minnesota lawmakers are on the verge of ordering a study on potential health effects from the rubber pellets found in synthetic athletic fields. A House environment budget bill contains $50,000 for the study on crumb rubber.

Minnesota golfers will soon have a new way to reflect their seasonal passion year-round: By slapping a special golf-themed license plate on their cars. After some back and forth with plate promoters, state vehicle services officials have signed off on a design and say sales of the “Play Golf Minnesota” tags could begin in August.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is asking state lawmakers to fund a statewide plan to synchronize traffic lights to ease congestion. Twin Cities motorists spend 63 hours a year sitting in traffic, according to a recent study of traffic congestion, among the worst in the country.

Minnesota will continue rating its schools based on how well they address disparities and prepare students for college or careers. The state’s waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act was renewed Tuesday. Minnesota is one of many allowed to deviate from the law.

State lawmakers will have a lot of ground to cover when they return from Easter break. Along with the first $40 billion budget in Minnesota history, a long term transportation plan is also getting a lot of attention. House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin joined the WCCO Sunday Morning show to talk about what’s ahead at the Capitol.

One of many hot topics at the State Capitol Monday: Should terminally ill patients have the right to end their lives? A bill allowing physician-assisted death is getting a hearing in a Minnesota Senate committee.

Gov. Mark Dayton says he considers a $7 billion Republican plan for road construction a step forward in terms of scope, but he’s less enthusiastic about how it would be paid for. Dayton reacted Monday to the GOP’s legislative alternative to his multi-billion dollar transportation proposal.

A bill that would have forced some groups active in Minnesota campaigns to disclose more details about their spending late in races has been defeated. The House Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee turned the bill back Thursday, with opponents arguing it will discourage political participation.

Child-protection legislation inspired by the maltreatment death of a 4-year-old boy is close to becoming law after unanimous Senate approval. The bill marks the first of what could be several changes from a task force review following Eric Dean’s death.

Ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” continued Saturday in Selma, Alabama and across the country, including right here in Minnesota. Hundreds gathered on the steps of the State Capitol in St. Paul Saturday afternoon to commemorate the historic 1965 march.

Minnesota legislators want to set up an online service to link young businesses with capital. MNvest would work like the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. But instead of getting a CD or T-shirt for donating to a project, investors would own a piece of the company they support.

The budget-setting preseason at Minnesota’s Capitol is about to give way to the session’s full-blown debate, helped along by an economic forecast that guides tax-and-spending parameters. Friday’s release of the comprehensive report will determine whether Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature still have a projected $1 billion surplus at their disposal — or if it’s gone up or down since the last look in December.